by Christine Miskonoodinkwe Smith

Stories are an integral part of who we are as peoples. For First Nations people, traditional storytelling was mostly based on the spoken word. For generations, children learned about their culture and their history through stories their elders told them. It was also used as a tool for entertainment. People of all ages gathered around a storyteller to hear funny stories – ancient tales that also served as important lessons. First Nations people also used other methods to record their stories, such as rock paintings, birchbark scrolls, and wampum belts and carvings; but the foundation was always the oral narrative.